SEMINAR: DISONANCE OF “NON-ALIGNED” POST WWII HERITAGE

As early as in the late 1940s, Yugoslavia developed its own brand of Socialism based on self-management. In the cultural sphere, the uniqueness of the Yugoslav context gave way to the official renunciation of Soviet Socialist Realism around 1948 and contributed to the rise of a unique brand of moderate (Socialist) modernism. The post-WWII architectural heritage in "non-aligned" Yugoslavia articulated and legitimized a different political stance toward ideology while insisting on new art that signified a break with typical Soviet Socialist (Realism) art and architecture as well as integration into the international art world, a situation that allowed greater radicalization of artistic practices in Yugoslavia than in other countries of real Socialism. The very "ordinariness" of these post-war works and negligible official recognition of their modernist principles and significance, was a major obstacle for their heritage listing in comparison with the "historic", older heritage. Furthermore, after the 1991-95 war, the region has been managing its difficult, recent past not through recognition of it but through concealment and cultural reframing, directing attention away from the post WWII legacy, towards counter-trends of national historicism and nation branding. This discursive strategy and readjustment of identity politics have proven to be especially critical for the generation who is coming of age in the era of ideology-neutral pluralism.

Bio

Sandra Uskokovic, a scholar of modern and contemporary Central and Eastern European art, is Associate Professor at the University of Dubrovnik, Croatia. A visiting scholar at universities in Europe, Asia, and North America, her research interests include art criticism, modern and contemporary art, urban and cultural theory, performative arts, heritage studies.